"VAN" (Sports Desk - 30.04.2026) :: The sixth episode of the ‘Women Who Thrive’ series features former Australian Olympian Alyson Annan, who is currently the coach of the Chinese women’s national team.
As a player, Alyson Annan earned 228 caps for Australia and scored 166 goals. She is a two-time Olympic and World Champion, has been named FIH Player of the Year twice, and FIH Coach of the Year a record six times!
From 2015 until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, she served as head coach of the Dutch Women’s national team, winning Olympic Gold in Tokyo. In 2022, Alyson Annan was appointed head coach of the Chinese women’s national team. In 2023, they won gold at the Asian Games and silver at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
In this inspiring film, Alyson Annan discusses, among other topics, the disrespect faced by some people due to their physical appearance. “We need to stop judging people by their appearance. We must accept people for who they are and what they have to offer,” she said.
She also talks about challenges encountered by female coaches: “There are a lot of women around the world who can be very, very good coaches but I always question whether our environment is open to that. Often, males don’t choose females as assistants. I would really like it to be a rule of thumb for every country.”
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